Building a deck around Proliferate and need to find the right combination of winning cards? We’ve compiled a list of the 50 best proliferate cards to consider for your Commander deck.
Whether you are attempting to proliferate into 10 poison counters, dominate the board with +1 counters, tick up a Planeswalker for an ultimate, we’ve got the card to execute your game plan.
Note: This list is composed only of proliferate or mechanically identical proliferate cards. If you are also looking for cards that directly add poison counters or put counters on permanents, we have a few other listicles you may be interested in as well.
Before we get started with this list, there were recently two new Proliferate cards released (or soon to be released) that deserve a shoutout.
This list is in no particular order, as their power level will vary depending on what type of build you are building, and also what slot you need in your commander deck. After all, every card serves a purpose, whether it is an enchantment removal card that proliferates, a draw outlet, or a game-winning bomb.
#1 Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice
Well, who would have thought, Atraxa. This card is nuts in a proliferate deck. It’s no great wonder why it’s the most popular Commander of all time (according to EDHRec). Not only do you get access to 4 colors, you get a free proliferate every turn without restriction.
If you are looking for a Commander, look no further. Even in a straight-up Poison build, Atraxa is worth consideration. The only color you don’t get is Red, which has so few Proliferate cards, we didn’t even bother to include them in this list (they are Cacophony Scamp and Volt Charge).
#2 Flux Channeler
The three most powerful creatures in any proliferate deck are Atraxa, Flux Channel, and Evolution Sage. Getting multiple proliferate triggers off of 1 card is huge. Flux Channeler is slightly better in Poison or Planeswalker decks, since you are heavier on non-creature spells vs a creature counter build.
When your deck has a ton of cheap draw cantrips, Flux Channeler can go off quite easily. Gitaxian Probe to draw a card and proliferate for 2 life? Don’t mind if I do.
#3 Evolution Sage
Better start buying some fetch lands, because you’re going to need them. Evolution Sage is the go-to proliferate card in any counter-based deck.
Imagine casting Scapeshift with this in play to get only fetch lands. Even then, playing a land and casting Harrow in a turn will net you 3 proliferate triggers.
It’s no wonder why Evolution Sage is a must-kill target by opponents in any Commander game. The value is palpable.
#4 Thirsting Roots
Thirsting Roots is a staple of Proliferate Commander decks. Early game you need to fix your mana, especially if you are a multi-color build. Late-game Thirsting Roots serves as an easy source of proliferation.
#5 Inexorable Tide
Giving every card you cast for the rest of the game an extra instance of Proliferate is insane value.
It can’t be understated how effective multi-trigger proliferate cards are. Inexorable Tide is the perfect mid-game drop to develop your Proliferate engine before entering the late game. Being an enchantment also means it is likely to stick a round a bit easier than your Flux Channeler and Evolution Sage.
#6 Contagion Engine
Contagion Engine is one of the first Proliferate cards and has been a staple since. While it doesn’t wipe the board, it does help deal with token cards.
The biggest downside is that the proliferate trigger is quite expensive, so you will have to sink in 10 mana to get your first trigger here. Once this is on the field, you are essentially paying 2 mana per proliferate trigger.
#7 Grateful Apparition
There’s a handful of 2 mana flying Proliferate on damage creatures. If you can get them down early, they can become a serious engine.
Once you start entering mid to late game they become a bit harder to trigger as board wipes are plenty and blockers will jam up the board. The challenge is to get relevant things out to proliferate, while hitting an opponent before that time comes.
#8 Skyship Plunderer
Pirates are cool. Especially ones that can proliferate.
#9 Thrummingbird
And another.
#10 Sword of Truth and Justice
Sword of Truth and Justice can be a bit slow, like all swords, but it’s all about the value. Be sure to consider the number of creatures in your deck before including this in your build.
Getting Protection from Swords to Plowshares isn’t a bad bonus here, though a Lightning Greaves it is not.
#11 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
Yawgmoth is a multi-purpose all-star. You get a sac-outlet, a draw outlet, and proliferate. And you can trigger all of them multiple times a turn.
#12 Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting
If you can get Vraska to stick, she can win you the game. Drawing cards and proliferating each turn is sick. Not only that, Vraska can be used as a removal spell on anything. Is a threatening creature indestructible? Just turn it into a treasure. Oh and it can Proliferate itself, giving you a way to ultimate and win the game with Poison counters.
#13 Staff of Compleation
Proliferate once a turn on a 3-mana stick isn’t bad. Plus you have the option of ramping and drawing cards or untapping for additional triggers when in a pinch.
While Staff of Compleation doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, it does everything well enough to deserve consideration.
#14 Norn’s Choirmaster
The biggest downside of Norn’s Choirmaster is that it is 5 mana and you need to be attacking every turn with your Commander to get Proliferate triggers. You need to care about having a mid-game flyer in play to justify the mana cost on this Proliferate card.
If you have an attack based aggro +1 counters deck where your commander will be attacking, Norn’s Choirmaster may be a worthy creature slot for you.
#15 Cankerbloom
Every deck needs artifact and enchantment removal. Cankerblook takes care of that while also satisfying the proliferate theme of your deck. Utility Proliferate doesn’t get much better than this.
#16 Ezuri, Stalker Of Spheres
If you’re the type of player who loves drawing cards, Ezuri might be the proliferate commander for you. Ezuri works great with passive Proliferate engines such as Staff of Complexation, which can draw you a card and proliferate every turn for 0 mana thanks to Ezuri.
#17 Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus
Tekuthal is an engine in the right proliferate deck. You’ll need to have a solid number of Proliferate cards (think 15 minimum) to make sure it triggers enough to be worth the 4 mana investment.
#18 Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
Alright, Vorinclex technically doesn’t have Proliferate, but it can both increase counters on players and permanent’s so it is pretty close.
Vorinxclex has the rare upside of decreasing the amount of counters on permanents your opponent control. Is your opponent playing a Planeswalker Commander? How about an X mana hydra that enters with counters.
Vorinclex is an auto-include in all of my green-based proliferate decks for that reason. There is so much incidental value here.
#19 Ichormoon Gauntlet
Any Planeswalker party deck should run Ichormoon. Although this card does give your Planeswalker’s Proliferate, it’s mostly about building toward an emblem and taking extra turns. Run it with cheap Planeswalkers to make their Loyalty matter.
#20 Contagion Clasp
Contagion Clasp was the hallmark Proliferate card when it was printed. It helps you take care of an early Mother of Runes or Birds of Paradise, and gives you value late game. There aren’t many Proliferate cards that also act as removal, making Contagion Clasp an include in many Proliferate decks.
#21 Roalesk, Apex Hybrid
Roalesk is odd in that the Proliferate trigger occurs on death, so if it gets exiled, the triggers don’t occur.
The best way to utilize Roalesk is to put it in a deck that cares about +1 counters, since it has an ETB effect. The biggest downside is if you run it as your Commander, you are missing out on a third or fourth color.
#22 Tezzeret’s Gambit
It’s Divination with Proliferate! The perfect draw spell for your Proliferate-based Commander deck.
#23 Experimental Augury
Impulse is already run in a handful of Commander decks. Rather than digging 4 deep, Augury digs 3 deep, but you get a Proliferate trigger.
This is one of those staple cards that you’ll want to include.
#24 Planewide Celebration
There are very few cards that allow you to Proliferate 4 times in a single turn. Planewide does that in spades. Or perhaps you want to Proliferate 3 times and return another multi-Proliferate card back to your hand.
Planewide Celebration is one of the best late game Proliferate cards out there. If you have a Planeswalker in play, its hard to Ultimate after 4 triggers. And if you are dealing Poison counters, it’s hard not to imagine this finishes opponents off on the spot.
#25 Brokers Confluence
Mid-game, this card is exactly where you want to be. Proliferating 3 times is often enough to put yourself in a commanding position, no matter what your proliferate strategy is for.
In a pinch, you can also counter a big ability, phase out a huge single target attack, or save your Commander.
#26 Bloated Contaminator
Early game Bloated Contaminator will rack up Poison counters. Because it has Trample, you will often find a player who isn’t able to stop the proliferate triggers. Late game, it can be a bit of a dead card.
#27 Karn’s Bastion
When you are drawing dead, Karn’s Bastion is often the way to generate some value. It’s a bit tricky because you often need colored mana if you are running a Commander like Atraxa.
#28 Contentious Plan
A simple cantrip that proliferates. A solid late-game card when you have access to plenty of mana.
#29 Throne of Geth
Throne of Geth is perhaps the cheapest mana value card that can proliferate at least once a turn. If you are running cards like Unwinding Clock, you could get a trigger on every player’s turn.
#30 Contaminant Grafter
Sure Contaminant graft interacts with poison counters, but it can also work well in +1 counter strategy decks.
#31 Drown in Ichor
Drown in Ichor is one of the best Proliferate removal spells in the game. You should be able to kill a good number of Commanders or relevant creatures with the -4/-4.
#32 Viral Drake
If you’ve got infinite mana, Viral Drake can give you infinite proliferate triggers. Also a good mana sink.
#33 Fuel for the Cause
You really need to value your proliferate triggers if you are going to run Fuel of the Cause. Otherwise, cards like Mana Drain or free mana value counter spells are the way to go.
#34 Reject Imperfection
Reject Imperfection is a bit more playable than Fuel for the Cause. It still counters everything at 3 mana, but you’ll usually want to save it for something that proliferates.
#35 Steady Progress
If you’re running a control build, instant speed may be relevant here.
#36 Pollenbright Druid
One of the cheapest ways to proliferate in green. Pollenbright Druid can also put a counter on a creature, which is synergistic with cards like Agatha’s Soul Cauldron.
#37 Unnatural Restoration
The proliferate ability is virtually free on Unnatural Restoration. Even if you aren’t a permanent heavy deck, you can combine this with fetch-lands. It also works well with sacrifice-heavy proliferate enablers such as Throne of Geth.
#38 Expand the Sphere
Early game, you can ramp twice for 4 and late game you can proliferate twice. Expand the Sphere is a versatile flex card and one of the few ways to ramp with Proliferate.
#39 Core Prowler
Four mana to proliferate once is a pretty bad deal, but there are a few ways to go infinite here. Combo this with graveyard recursion and sacrifice outlets to maximize its value.
#40 Filigree Vector
If you are running a Green/White counters deck, Filigree Vector may be worth your consideration. On ETB it can put counters on everything you control. Combo this with Blink cards for extra value.
#41 Serum Snare
Serum Snare is a fantastic combat trick for your Proliferate build. Is someone swinging at you for lethal? Use it as a spot bounce. Returning a Lightning Greaves so a player can deal with a threat while giving you a proliferate trigger is gravy. You help the table while helping yourself.
#42 Glistening Sphere
This is an auto-include in any Poison build. Mid-game it is a Gilded Lotus that only cost 3 mana. Hard to argue with that kind of value.
#43 Guildpact Informant
Guildpact Informat is the weakest of proliferate combat damage creatures. On the plus side, it does proliferate when it hits a Planeswalker, which is virtually never.
#44 Grim Affliction
Grim Affliction is one of the worst Proliferate removal spells, but there are so few it still makes the list. You will eventually kill the creature you used this on, since one expects to follow up with a proliferate card every turn, but in Commander that means giving your opponent a lot of time to extract value from whatever creature it was.
#45 Vat Emergence
I’d rather go with Reanimate for 1 mana and use the extra mana to card draw more Proliferate triggers instead of Vat Emergence. Think twice being running this, but if you really need those final Poison counters, this may still be a card for you.
#46 Smell Fear
I welcome any Green removal that ALSO proliferates. Plus it is on-rate. If only it was instant speed, but alas we can’t have everything.
#47 Carnivorous Canopy
Another card I wish had instant speed. There’s plenty of overpowered artifacts and enchantments at 3 CMC or less (Rhystic Study) that you will want to target with this.
#48 Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos
Brimaz is a bit of a build around card. Either you love it, or it doesn’t do much for you. Run it in an artifact build to get multiple triggers. It also will work great with sac outlets.
#49 Whisper of the Dross
Unlike some of the previously mentioned removal spells, Whisper of the Dross is actually solid. You get to Proliferate for only 1 mana, and being able to cast this at instant speed is perfect. Use it to kill an early Esper Sentinel or Proliferate efficiently late game.
#50 Merfolk Skydiver
Last but not least we have Merfolk Skydiver. With infinite mana, Skydiver also Proliferates infinitely. Not only that, you can proliferate the +1 counter it places infinitely to KO at least 1 opponent through combat.
New Proliferate Cards
Before we finish this list, there are a few new Proliferate cards worth highlighting that certainly would have made the original 50 card cutoff.
Ripples of Potential
Recently released in the Lost Caverns of Ixalan Merfolk precon deck, Ripples of Potential is one of the strongest Proliferate cards we’ve seen in a long time. Use it to save your entire board from a boardwipe. It’s basically a Heroic Intervention in the right deck.
Radstorm
Releasing in the Fallout Commander Precons, Radstorm is a pretty radical proliferate card. In a Commander game, wait until an opponent casts multiple spells a turn, then cast Radstorm for 3-4 or more Proliferate triggers. This card can really surprise an opponent.
That concludes our list of the 50 Best Profilerate Commander cards. Did we miss a card? Let us know!
